RSD

Record Store Day (was) April 13, 2019!

Once again we take a day to honor independent record stores and our favorite physical music format! Record Store Day takes place every year on the third saturday in April (and again on Black Friday), and we'll be celebrating with food, live music, sales, giveaways, and as always the exclusive, super limited-edition releases.

Not sure what Record Store Day is? Here's info straight from #RSDBF:

"We work year-round to shine a light on the independent businesses in your local community that sell you records and other things that make you happy, make you smile, make you sing, bring you comfort, bring people together... So we work with labels, artists, managers and distribution companies who feel the same, and put together a list of titles for that season that are available at participating record stores." Read the whole thing here!

The list of special releases is below, in a Website form where you can search and get more information, and a PDF that you can print out and use as a Wish List or Shopping Guide. There are three categories on our list: EXCLUSIVES: These titles are physically released only at indie record stores. RSD FIRST: These titles are found first at indie record stores, but may be released to other retailers or webstores at some point in the future. SMALL RUN/REGIONAL LIST: These titles are either regionally based and sold at specific stores, or are press runs under 1000, which means they may be harder to find at record stores around the country. (If a title is regionally based and is not available throughout the country, it will say that in the description. The majority of titles on this section of the list are there because they have a limited run.)

Every year we create something special, fun, and memorable for all our guests. Here's some of what you can expect:

- WE OPEN 9AM! Previous years have seen a line- so plan ahead, but we now have a dedicated parking lot with room for all. Please plan ahead- there will only be a port-a-potty and dress warm it may be cold!

- We'll have the largest selection of the exclusive vinyl releases in the Hudson Valley. We post our menu of available titles LATEST the night before!

- FOOD! Enjoy free coffee in the morning courtesy of Poughkeepsie Grind, and more like get amazing eats and gourmet Fried Chicken and Waffles from G$'s Chicken & Waffles! Get ice cream from Ben & Jerry's of Madison Ave in Albany!

- BEER! Relax and enjoy a local pint while you shop or hang! We'll be serving up some locally-brewed suds! PlusHalf Time Beverages will be on-site again with samples of the Dogfish Head#RSD19 brew, the fan-favorite re-released Grateful Dead 'American Beauty' pale ale (Plus they're also bringing back 'Dragons & YumYums' the 2018 collaboration with The Flaming Lips that we hope to have onsite!)

- WIN PRIZES! We're raffling off four rare vinyl test presses with all proceeds going to HVARS, so you can help some animals in need this season. Get full details and tickets here!

- FUN! There will be fun- meet the folks from 92.7 & 96.9 WRRV, take a photo with athletes of Hudson Valley Roller Derby (and learn how to join), and more!

We also post our list of remaining RSD titles on our site the day after record store day (here!). And yes, after this point we are happy to hold and ship! It's a great day for us and we hope to continue to offer a great day of specials and sales! See all the RSD rules below.

Complete Guidelines for Record Store Day/Black Friday at Darkside Records

Record Store Day is always an exciting time of year! Twice a year – on the third Saturday of April and Black Friday – record labels and artists come together to offer an array of exclusive, limited edition pieces to independent music stores across the country. Most of these releases are extremely limited in nature – with some pieces only having a few hundred pressed. While we LOVE being able to bring you items like this, the nature of the situation does make it so we have to put some guidelines in place. Some of these are our own personal store guidelines, while others are rules that we must agree to follow in order to even be allowed to stock these pieces for you.

- All titles are available on a first come, first serve basis.

- No phone orders.

- No holds.

- No Preorders. But you can fill out the Darkside Dream Phone to let us know what you're interested in!

- One copy of each title per customer.

- No later than the night before RSD we will release what we call our menu with every exclusive RSD item that we have IN STOCK. The menu will also include the retail price of what each item will be. If a title that is slated to come out is not listed on the menu, then unfortunately we do not have it. Why would this happen? We place orders for virtually every Record Store Day release, but because of the limited availability of the releases, record labels & distributors sometimes have to allocate because every participating RSD store in the country has ordered it too. Sometimes we get exactly what was ordered, sometimes it's a little less, sometimes it means we don't get any. We won't actually know what we're getting until the boxes show up. For example, if something is limited to 500 copies nationwide, but 1000 stores order it, then only half are going to get to stock it.

- We operate the process on a line basis. The earlier you get here, the closer you will be to the front of the line. All the special releases are organized behind our counter (this keeps everything orderly & smooth. No trampling or pushing & shoving on our watch!). There will be multiple registers running so you can take your time at the register deciding on which titles are for you! When we open, the line will be directed to the register area and you will “place your order”. Then you're free to browse all the awesome sales & non RSD records filling up our racks! There will be a separate register just for those purchases, so you don't have to wait in line all over again. Why do we do it this way?! Mostly because we don't want anyone to get trampled. This is what we have found to be not only the most organized way to do this, but also the fairest.

- After RSD, we will post a list of all remaining pieces and only at that point will we take phone or email orders, or hold these titles for customers until 2 days after RSD.

- For the week of Record Store Day, used purchasing is temporary suspended to dedicate time and space to processing all the RSD titles and setting up the event.

If you still have any other questions about RSD or what's happening in our store that day, please feel free to call, email, facebook, tweet or just good ol' fashioned stop by and we'll be happy to answer them! Also don't forget to join our Facebook Event for the day where we post all kinds of updates as we get them, or join our email list below and we'll send our menu directly to your inbox when it's ready!